San Juan City banks now required to put up CCTV

A new ordinance has been approved by the San Juan City Council requiring all banks in the City to put up video monitoring devices or closed-circuit television (CCTV) in their branches to effectively address crimes, such as bank robberies in the city.

San Juan Councilor Dante Santiago, author of the newly approved City Ordinance No. 40 series of 2007, said it is the primary responsibility of all Local Governments (LGUs) in the country to ensure the safety of the people in their respective jurisdiction.

“City ordinance number 40 invoked the local government code’s provision, which tasked the LGUs to maintain peace and order enacting measures to prevent and suppress lawless and disorders and impose penalties to the violators,” Santiago said.

Under Ordinance No. 40, all banking institutions in San Juan City are required to store and preserve for a minimum period of 15 days the daily tape recordings that they have “for review purposes and reference of the authorities.”

Santiago said the ordinance also required bank authorities to give the duly authorized local officials and police access to the recordings or videotapes if the occasion warrants after the assigned officer has shown the written authority issued to him by the City police chief for the purpose.

“The duly authorized local police or investigating officer assigned to view a Bank’s video file relevant to a pending case or investigation will be allowed to view the video no more than five minutes before and after a particular client/victim/complainant was inside bank premises,” Santiago said.

Santiago said that in spite of the security measures put up by banking institutions, fearless outlaws who are mostly armed with deadly and high-powered weapons had successfully staged bank robberies.

“With the use of video cameras in and outside of their place of operation, banks can record all persons coming in and out of their premises and monitor the goings-on inside,” Santiago said.

He said that with the use of video monitoring devices, police and investigators will have easier time identifying perpetrators. – GMANews.TV